Just about everyone wants to better themselves, but too few of us are willing to take the initiative to do so. Becoming a better person is not about overhauling everything about our personality overnight. Instead, it’s about realizing what we can improve and taking actionable steps to make it possible. It’s not an easy journey, and there are bound to be some setbacks. However, by making a commitment and holding yourself accountable, you can see drastic improvements. Here are five ways to be the best you can be.
Forgive yourself
You might be holding yourself back from self-improvement because of feelings of regret based on past actions (or non-actions). Unfortunately, this doesn’t accomplish anything, except making a martyr out of yourself. If you’re currently regretting making bad decisions in the past, how are you going to feel in a few years when you wasted this time feeling bad about yourself. While you should acknowledge your mistakes and not repeat them, you should also stay focused on the present and how you can use it to benefit your future self.
Step out of your comfort zone
Few sensations are better than the one that comes from taking a chance. You shouldn’t do anything too rash or dangerous, but if you feel an urge to do something daring, you should take it. Maybe you’ve always wanted to give stand-up comedy a shot, or maybe you want to ask a waiter at your favorite restaurant about their tattoos. No matter what it is or how it turns out, you can really feel great about taking a chance and seeing it through to the end.
Get enough sleep
The benefits of adequate sleep are indisputable, not just for feeling rested, but also for your long-term physical and mental health. If you want to succeed in life, your journey might start in the bedroom. Set a regular bedtime for 7-8 hours a night and notice the results over time. Skimping on sleep might make you think you’re more ambitious. However, it’s all but guaranteed to rob you of the vital health you need in order to fulfill those ambitions.
Be curious
If you’re feeling stuck in a rut, there’s a good chance that you are bored more than anything. You think you’ve seen all there is to see in the world and have resigned yourself to just biding your time until something incredible happens. While much of the novelty of life wears off as we get older, it doesn’t need to disappear completely. Use every day as a chance to learn. Read books and articles, listen to motivational speakers like Dallin Larsen and others, talk to people you don’t know. In order to be a well-rounded person, you need to have a natural disposition for learning and challenging yourself in the process.
Wake up early
As important as sleep is, you also shouldn’t let it control you. When your alarm goes off in the morning, don’t hit snooze. Get out of bed and do something like light exercise or yoga in order to help your brain wake up. The more time you give yourself in the meaning means the more time you have to work on your goals. Even waking up ten minutes earlier can have a positive cumulative effect. When it comes to improving yourself, you need to capitalize on time as much as possible, as it’s an absolutely invaluable resource.
Hopefully this has given you a good idea of how you can unlock your potential. When you take the time to consistently work on yourself, you can remind yourself of just how special you are.